After Sivagangai custodial death, new Tamil Nadu police brutality video emerges
Days after Ajith Kumar's custodial death in Tamil Nadu, a video from Theni shows police thrashing autorickshaw driver Ramesh inside a police station. The footage from six months ago was obtained via RTI by a lawyer.
by Deepthi Rao · India TodayIn Short
- Another custodial violence by Tamil Nadu police revealed by video
- Accused beaten inside Theni police station over public nuisance
- Footage emerges after Ajith Kumar’s custodial death
A video showing Tamil Nadu police’s brutality has surfaced, just days after the custodial death of 27-year-old Ajith Kumar in Tamil Nadu’s Sivagangai. The video of an accused being beaten by a policeman inside a station in Theni district was obtained by a lawyer via RTI.
The CCTV footage, which is six months old, shows a man being assaulted inside Devanathanpatti police station. The accused, identified as Ramesh, an autorickshaw driver, was detained on January 14, 2025, for allegedly causing public nuisance while drunk.
The video shows police officials brutally beating Ramesh inside the station premises. The footage has now come to light after lawyer Pandiarajan, who had accessed it through the Right to Information (RTI) Act for a different case, chose to release it.
He said the intention was to show how police brutality continues to be a recurring problem in Tamil Nadu.
The Madras High Court had slammed the Tamil Nadu police over Ajith Kumar’s death, calling it a “brutal act” and said bluntly that “the state has killed its own citizen.” The post-mortem report revealed 44 injuries on Ajith’s body, with chilli powder applied to his back, mouth, and ears.
The court questioned how someone with no criminal record was subjected to such horrifying torture and criticised serious lapses in the investigation.
Following mounting pressure, Chief Minister MK Stalin announced that Ajith Kumar’s custodial death case will be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Calling the police action “unjustifiable,” Stalin warned that such acts must never be repeated and assured full cooperation to the CBI.
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